A Unique Venue: Sunborn London

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Looking for a unique wedding venue? The new and impressive Sunborn London is a luxury yacht, permanently moored on the Thames in East London’s Royal Victoria Docks. Situated in a stunning location, the yacht overlooks Canary Wharf, the O2 Arena and Emirates Cable Cars. Licensed for legal wedding ceremonies, Sunborn London was purpose built as a floating hotel – providing all you could want for a unique central London wedding venue.

Several of the rooms are licensed for wedding ceremonies, including the ships wheelhouse. There is an excellent restaurant for a grand wedding breakfast (up to 120 guests) and a wide choice of luxurious rooms and suites for guests to stay overnight.

The Sunborn yacht was never designed to be sea faring – it was designed as a resort hotel in Finland, then spent a small amount of time in Amsterdam before being towed across to London into its permanent mooring. It has the look and feel of a traditional luxury cruise ship, with lots of highly polished brass and a traditional ship’s layout. As you board the yacht you enter into a large foyer area with reception desks, a bar area, seating overlooking the Thames and a huge glass and brass double circular staircase. The curving stairs lead up to the restaurant, which boasts fabulous views across the Thames as well as an open deck at the stern of the yacht. The aft deck is a popular spot for drinks receptions with views down to the O2, both on this level and higher on the yacht where the open deck leads off a large reception area.

There is a choice of room grades, starting at £160 for a dock view, with a small supplement for executive rooms providing balconies overlooking the river. All the rooms in the Sunborn Hotel London, feature a Lavazza Coffee machine and Sony tablet! If you really want to push the boat out, then there are two suites at the bow of the yacht, complete with a separate sitting room, huge private deck, double bedroom and an impressive bathroom with a corner jacuzzi and a private sauna with windows looking out over the Thames. And forget double bathroom wash basins; in the Sunborn’s suites they have double showers! Prices range up to £760 for a suite. If you need further pampering, the boat also boasts an Elemis Spa.

In addition to weddings, the yacht is proving very popular for proposals and romantic breaks, with Friday and Saturday nights particularly popular, so book well in advance. The restaurant offers a varied menu, but if you arrive after it closes, we were particularly impressed with the room service. Although the menu was limited, our pizza was prepared and baked to order using fresh ingredients, and utterly delicious.

Sunborn London offers three different wedding packages, which vary from £85 to £105 per person including venue hire, reception drinks, canapés, a three course meal with wine, accommodation for the married couple and discounted accommodation rates for the guests; in our opinion excellent value for money for such a unique East London wedding venue.

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About the author

Written by: Alison Hargreaves

Alison is a well-known and respected wedding expert with over 25 years experience of the wedding industry. As the founder of Guides for Brides and various other online brands, Alison frequently appears on expert panels, judging panels and podcasts. Known as a trusted voice in the wedding industry, she is here to give you an expert opinion on top London venues.